“As I said in my address at the #BrickChambers Conference in London on Mon September 28‚the #MarchAgainstCorruption is not against government‚” Madonsela tweeted.
“The #MarchAgainstCorruption is a bold statement by the people of South Africa‚ united in saying #NoToCorruption‚ that #ItStopsRightNow.”
More than 350 organisations’ said they would be participating in the march‚ which Unite Against Corruption organisers hoped would see “one of the biggest rallies South Africa has seen in 20 years”.
Hitachi case one of the reasons ANC isn’t marching against corruption: Cope
The Congress of the People noted Wednesday’s Unite Against Corruption protest action by saying: “The news of the $19-million fine that Hitachi is paying in the USA comes a moment not too soon.”
“Within hours‚ hundreds of organisations will march‚ either to Parliament or to the Union Buildings‚ to demonstrate their utter condemnation of the escalating corruption afflicting South Africa‚” said Cope’s Dennis Bloem. The African National Congress (ANC) and its alliance partners‚ he said‚ will be conspicuous by its absence from the marches.
“By staying out‚ they will strengthen the widely held public view that it is indeed the ruling party that is both harbouring and benefitting from corruption‚” said Bloem.
“If Hitachi had no case to answer‚ it will certainly not have volunteered to pay a fine of that magnitude. The cat is out of the bag.”
It emerged earlier this week that the Japanese conglomerate paid ANC front company Chancellor House a $1m “success fee” and $5m in “dividends” in connection with contracts to build the Medupi and Kusile power stations.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission charged said Hitachi had agreed to pay $19m to settle the charges‚ without admitting or denying the allegations.
It would be permanently enjoined from future violations. The settlement is subject to court approval.
Chancellor House was‚ until last year‚ empowerment partner of Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Power Africa‚ in which it was a 25% shareholder. In 2007‚ the company won Eskom contracts valued at R38bn at the time.
“There is no doubt that the ruling party has been dishing out lucrative contracts to Hitachi and a host of other companies in exchange for huge donations to itself‚” said Bloem.
“That is why the ruling party is so strongly and adamantly opposed to the introduction of any legislation that will make disclosure of party funding mandatory. They will not do it because they simply cannot do it. “ Bloem said society “has had enough of corruption from both the public and the private sector”.
“The march today is the beginning of a new challenge to a government that does not believe in transparency‚ accountability or rule of law.
“Today’s march comes on top of the hundreds of protests by ordinary people seeking better service delivery.
“What is starting today will grow and become a tidal force in due course. It will sweep away the corrupt‚ the arrogant and the inept and thereby free the potential of South Africa to become a prosperous nation.”